Six months of digital comics and I’ve not looked back

Around six months ago, I published a post about my (2nd) attempt to go digital; switching from read/collecting physical comics to digital editions. A month after I started, I published a follow-up post to discuss how well the switch was going.

Six months on and I thought I’d record my thoughts once more. It’s been a long enough period of time to say whether or not this change has worked.

The good news is, I’m still very much in the digital realm and I feel like I can safely say, I don’t see that altering anytime soon. While I still love physical comics, the truth is the cost, time and space issues surrounding physical copies were proving a bit prohibitive and this new digital direction is much better for me.

Cost

With regards cost, since going digital I’ve cut down my weekly spend on single issue comics. I still pick up the titles I want, but I don’t find myself impulse buying books like I do when I’m in a bricks and mortar store and I’ve got loose change in my back pocket.

As previously highlighted on It’s A Stampede!, Comixology has some truly EXCELLENT sales and as a result, I’ve been able to buy a huge amount of graphic novels/trades at a fraction of the cost of physical books. There are sales on every week, so I simply see what is on offer and stock up accordingly.

Thanks to the Comixology sales (as well as the digital offering in general) I’ve been able to access a wealth of titles on the cheap. As a result, I now utilise a method where I stockpile in the sales, then devour when I’m in the mood for a particular character/title.

Time

In terms of time, well this was always an issue. I commute a lot – I have done for years – so previously I had to carry graphic novels and comics around with me in my bag.

I’ve never been a huge fan of carrying lots of comics around as a.) they’re heavy and b.) they get bashed up very quickly. This is no longer a problem with the digital editions and now my commute is filled with comics!

While time was an issue before, now I am able to cram in comics in my downtime. To me, this is a much better use of my commuting time than just scrolling through Facebook for the 12th time that day.

Space

And this now brings me onto space. As previously highlighted, space was becoming a huge problem, as my physical collection had expanded beyond the confines of my house. This is no longer the case and now, after a bit of downsizing of my physical comics, I have room to swing many cats.*

I still have a few graphic novels, but I’m even downsizing some of those. The reason? Some of my graphic novels I’ve had for 20+ years and have only been read once. My hope is that having a few of these titles digitally will encourage me to dip into the stories a little more.

Moving forward

The point of all this is that after six months of going digital I haven’t looked back. Utilising a platform such as Comixology has given me the opportunity to expand my reading, while at the same time remain realistic about certain living limitations – i.e. I only have so much money and space for a physical collection.

I’m still very much of the opinion that digital is not for everyone and I admit it isn’t quite the same as reading/collecting physical copies, but it is really working for me. Nowadays I see myself as more of a reader than a collector, but so long as I am able to dive into the imaginative and varied world of comics, then I’m happy.